U.S. Women's Amateur Blog

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Players' Dinner Observations

Just returned from the Players'  Dinner for the 2007 Women's Amateur and I have to say, I was disappointed in the turnout. A lot of contestants were no-shows. You would think a chance to mingle with fellow contestants while enjoying a nice meal would be enticing enough. The USGA even provided transportation to Meridian Hills for those without vehicles. The USGA also has moved the dinner up one night so that it doesn't conflict with early morning starting times for the first round of stroke-play qualifying. I remember going to the dinner two years ago in Atlanta and there was a tremendous turnout as the USGA honored Carol Semple Thompson for playing in her 100th USGA championship. This time around, there wasn't a guest speaker but four players from recent international teams did talk about their experiences. Jennie Lee, Amanda Blumenherst and defending Women's Amateur champion Kimberly Kim talked about a scary experience aboard a dinner cruise in South Africa at last year's Women's World Amateur Team Championship. The boat that they were on nearly capsized and sent everyone onboard into the water. Fortunately, nobody was injured, and the three females did their best to humorize the situation in the aftermath of what could have been a very unfortunate incident. Lee and Blumenherst also talked about their Curtis Cup experience in Oregon last summer, while Stacy Lewis discussed her trip to Canada in June to play on the Copa de las Americas team with Lee. I also found out why Carol Semple Thompson did not play in the 1977 U.S. Women's Amateur, which up until this year had been the last time she did not play in this championship. She had just started a job in a bank and didn't feel it was wise to ask for some time off. Next May, Thompson gets to return to the Old Course at St. Andrews as the 2008 USA Curtis Cup team captain. Thompson played in the Ladies British Amateur at St. Andrews in 1975 as the defending champion. She had won the title a year earlier at Royal Porthcawl in Wales. Well, back tomorrow with more. David Shefter USGA Staff Writer

Welcome To U.S. Women's Amateur Blog

I'd like to welcome you to the 2007 U.S. Women's Amateur Blog. We will be filing blogs all week from Crooked Stick Golf Club, where the best players have gathered for the world's oldest women's amateur competition. But for the first time since 1977, we won't have Carol Semple Thompson in the field. Thompson has competed in a record 103 USGA championships and has won seven, including the 1973 U.S. Women's Amateur. Thompson made an attempt to qualify for this year's field at her home club, Allegheny C.C. in Sewickley , Pa. Thompson , however, just missed out and was the second alternate from the site. Thompson is scheduled to make an appearance this week to do some scouting for the 2008 Curtis Cup. She will once again captain the USA side when it goes to the Old Course at St. Andrews at the end of May. There are plenty of other great stories out here this week. We'll try to bring them to you either through stories on the Web site or the blog. If you know of any good stories, please don't hesitate to drop us a line. We would love to hear from you. David Shefter USGA Staff Writer